What is laser retinopexy?
Laser retinopexy is a procedure where the doctor uses a thermal laser that passes through the eye and forms barricade scar tissues around a retinal tear. The scar tissue serves as a weld in order to prevent expansion of the retinal tear and prevent fluid from entering into the retinal tear and causing progressive retinal detachment. This procedure works well when there is no significant retinal detachment (subretinal fluid around the tear) and can help prevent need for more invasive procedures such as pneumatic retinopexy, vitrectomy, or scleral buckling.
What to expect?
Following confirmation that the patient is a candidate for pneumatic retinopexy, one of our experienced technicians will adjust the patient’s seating in order to be relaxed and comfortable for the procedure. Depending on the location of the retinal tear, the patient’s chair will be adjusted to an upright position (tear is on the superior half of the retina) or reclined position (tear is in the inferior half of the retina). Our laser technician will then place a topical anesthetic on the surface of the eye. Next, the doctor will apply the laser treatment. The procedure itself takes 1-6 minutes depending on the extent and number of retinal tears. The patient will experience haziness and colored vision for up to 10 minutes following the procedure, after which the vision will return to pre-treatment level although dilation will last approximately 4 hours. There is no patch or post-procedure care such as eye drops required following this laser procedure although sometimes a slight headache can be possible following heavier laser treatments; that usually lasts several minutes and Tylenol may be required. Patient’s prior symptoms of floaters/blurred vision do not immediately improve as that can take days/weeks. It is important, however, to notify the physician of any new or worsening symptoms, such as floaters/flashes or sudden decrease in vision.